Neither college basketball or the NBA has any meaningful action toward its title pursuit until the post-season. Hockey and certainly baseball have it to some degree, with varying factors.
However, baseball once with a truly meaningful, at times beyond dramatic regular season, added the bogus wild card. Enough said.
The Olympics are not for me. I am not into jingoism. Now, not only is Bob Costas not involved in its coverage, but don’t look now at the continued ilk (Mike Tirico, why?) taking his place.
Thus the 21 to 26 week violent, puzzle of football, gets notes as the rain continues to descend.
Twenty years apart, and only then, did a team sans a Super Bowl win defeat the defending champion in the Super Bowl.
Denver (0-4) in Supes with an (0-3 and all poor efforts quarterback (John Elway) and led by the unheralded Terrell Davis, beat (3-0) in Supes Green Bay in ’97.
Then last week, twenty years later, the (0-2 in Supes), Eagles with a reserve quarterback, Nick Foles, underdogs in all 3 ‘0ffs games, two at home and one neutral and spread victors in all 6 post-season halves, beat the (5-2) in Supes Pats, a team with a, in my book, THE great quarterback, Tom Brady.
Someone who sounded like Keith Olberman and probably was him, back at ESPN, completely shortchanged Claude Provost (pictured above) in his segment regarding Brady, title teams and how to assess them.
Of course, it is opinion, but his tone regarding Provost, Michael Cooper, even Sam Jones and Bill Russell was not only distasteful, but so far off.
Provost played on 9 title teams with the Montreal Canadiens. He was an integral part of those great Montreal teams, a great defensive player, shadowing/containing the likes of the great Bobby Hull, in playoffs competition.
Olberman merely called him good. If you know anything regarding basketball, Michael Cooper was similar with better offense skills and contributions on great Lakers’ teams.
One more as it has been a while. I let Collinsworth and Michaels, neither of whom had a clue in the Supe, off the hook.
Not so Sage Steele, who actually said regarding a possible Philly touchdown down (33-32), they would LIKELY go for 2. Need I say more. There is no more “Man of Steel,” just Sage Steele and on we go, down the “standards drain!”
It is sad that two superb actors, each associated with another, Olympia Dukakis, died in the past week.
Both John Mahoney, not even 80 and Olympia’s husband Louis Zorich are no longer here.
Oh, but they did and leave fine work and memories with us.
I cite two sports related ones.
Mr. Zorich, playing a grandfather on “Brooklyn Bridge” had told his grandson Gil Hodges knew him. This was not true.
“Mr. Hodges” (sadly, the real Gil had been dead for 20 years having died at less than fifty) keeps the secret and Mr. Zorich’s character calls “Mr. Hodges” a mensch. By all accounts, Gil was one.
Mr. Mahoney, played White Sox manager “Kid” Gleason in the film, “Eight Men Out,” calling them the best team he was ever associated with, in a long career.
The fabulous John Mahoney, pictured above had dinner and conversation (only, but significantly) with Olympia Dukakis in the film, “Moonstruck.”
First, the Philadelphia Flyers and their first Stanley Cup title, in just their seventh season won in1974.
They kept the by and large pattern of Philadelphia teams earning first or significant crowns, vs great teams, all of whom going backward or forward, won as many as two titles in 3 seasons and in other cases achieved more impressive titles/spans numbers.
The ’74 Flyers “6’d” a Boston Bruins’ team that won titles in ’70 and ’72 with great players, Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito and were a record breaking top points team in 1971, to win their first title.
The 1960 Eagles’ title, the last one before last Sunday was achieved vs the Green Bay Packers.
“G.B”. became a great team going forward, winning 5 titles in 7 seasons (1961-1967).
The city’s first Super Bowl victory was gained vs a New England Patriots franchise that had “garnered” ( an earlier Eagles team had Charlie Garner and an ode to James Garner and recognition that all lives matter including Eric Garner’s–our promised “name” thing will follow) 2 of the last 3 Supe titles.
New England has 5 titles, the first won in 2001, all with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
When the whatever cleared (not dust) last Sunday, the Eagles most recent titles had in effect left two great coaches Bill Belichick and Vince Lombardi tied with a record 5 NFL crowns.
“Phil” handed Lombardi his only playoff loss of any kind in 1960, and Sunday past, kept Belichick still striving to pass Lombardi, for the most NFL coaching titles.
LeGarrette Blount pictured above and Chris Long, whose father Howie “titled” with the ’83 Raiders, both played on last year’s New England Super Bowl winning team and are current Eagles’ title team members.
Blount had a rushing touchdown in the Supe, his eleventh career ‘offs td.
Additionally this was Blount’s third title one less than the great player, Mel Blount achieved with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That is our name thing Coombs/Combs yesterday, Blount/Blount oday.
I drop names to praise Mel Blount’s kindness. My late friend Beano Cook had trouble walking and sat alone at a function honoring the great Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mel Blount came over and spent a great deal of quality time with a man sitting alone. That was appreciated by Beano and remembered fondly by me.
The Eagles’ Super Bowl win vs a “great era, if not great seasonal,” New England Patriots’ team, continued a history of Philadelphia teams winning or virtually winning significant, in most cases first titles (will ‘splain that one to all you “Rickys”) vs truly great teams.
Start with the first “Philly” crown, won by the Philadelphia Athletics, themselves an eventual great team with 4 pennants and 3 World Series wins in 5 seasons (1910-1914), who beat a tremendous Chicago Cubs team, in the 1910 World Series.
The Cubs were in the final season of a 4 pennants in 5 seasons feat of their own (1906-1910). They “titled” twice, doing so in 1907 and 1908, and not again for 116 years.
Philly’s virtual crown vs what was an, if not THE all time team, the Boston Celtics, is a bit of a stretch as Wilt Chamberlain and company (the ’67 Philadelphia 76ers) still had to beat and struggled to defeat a fine San Francisco Warriors team, to claim the first 76ers crown in 1967.
The Celtics had won 8 straight titles (no other major North American Sports League team has more than 5 in a row, as if that is “chopped anything”), 9 in 10 seasons and unfortunately for “my” Sixers, would win two more for an incredible total of 11 in 13 seasons, all with Bill Russell and ten times with the truly great Sam Jones.
However, defeating the Celtics in 5 games in the NBA semis did make a Sixers’ crown very likely and Philly wiped out the great Celts (140-116) in the series, home clinching game.
Tomorrow a look at the Flyers and the last two Eagles’ NFL titles in this regard.
Jack Coombs won 3 World Series Games For The 1910 Philadelphia Athletics Leading Them to the first ever Philadelphia sports crown.
Coombs and the similarly named, (slightly different pronunciations) Earl Combs, each played on 3 title teams, Jack with the A’s, Earl with the Yankees.
Tomorrow a name, 2 different players with 3 and 4 titles respectively plus a nice personal note on one in our Eagles “portion.”
As the saying go “for better or worse,” things seem to end at 56.
Their (41-33) Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots, who began AFL play that year, (current Eagles team owner Jeffrey Lurie’s family were Pats’ season ticket holders), was the first Philadelphia Eagles’ NFL Title since 1960.
Thus a 56 season (’61-2016) title drought ended in the same baseball/football year (2017), in which the Houston Astros, in their 56th season (1962-2017), won their first World Series.
The baseball Giants in both New York and predominantly in San Francisco won titles 56 years apart, in 1954 and not again until 2010.
Speaking of the San Francisco area, the great Joe DiMaggio was born there. Not so arguably, sports’ greatest streak, Mr. DiMaggio’s consecutive game hitting streak ended after 56 games.
As is the unfortunate case with most teams, the Eagles have a corporate named playing field, the first name of which is Lincoln.
This evokes a great man, who fought the greed which contributed mightily to why slavery existed.
Tragically, President Abraham Lincoln’s life ended when he was shot to death at the age of 56 in Washington D.C.
Alas the Eagles’ title season began there.
Finally, my maternal grandfather, also named Abraham and for whom I am named, died eleven years before I was born, doing so in a fire, at the age of 56.
Ted Dean had a huge kickoff return play, helping the Eagles win the 1960 NFL Title Game, played on a Monday, the day after Christmas.
There are many notes concerning the Eagles’ Supe win, not likely to be found any place but here.
One is the one I wrote before the Supe on Sunday and now in all 11 “neutral network” Supe telecasts, there has never been one in which a pre 1960 expansion NFL team lost to a non pre 1960 expansion team. Check the post below.
Today I add this one, that is 8 for 8, encompassing the 8 Patriots’ Super Bowl appearances in the Brady/Belichick era.
When N.E. covered the spread in their AFC Title Game wins, (they were big underdogs in the first one in ’01 at Pittsburgh, otherwise they were faves, and other than in ’04, again at Pittsburgh, at home), they were (5-0) in the subsequent Supes.
This season for the third time, they “no covered” in their AFC Title Game win and for the third time lost outright in the subsequent Super Bowl.
Click below to read this past Sunday’s post.
“Neutral Network” Supe Notes, So Likely, ONLY I Provide
In what has become the ‘controlled’ norm, namely a tight Supe, the Philadelphia Eagles won their first NFL crown since 1960 and first Supe ever (41-33) over, (I’ll say!), the still great, New England Patriots.
Nick Foles, who took so much abuse, all totally unwarranted, was the MVP, another so called backup quarterback delivering! A wise, informed man told me about backup qb’s, Tom Brady (500 plus passing yards in defeat), a prime example).
Doug Pederson correctly went on two fourth down plays, astounding the duo of Michaels/Collinsworth, and happened to make both.
Surprisingly Bill Belichick (5-3) in Supes called for a field goal try,that was inexplicably missed on 4th and 1 at the “Phil” 10 or so, early in the tilt. I thought then that was a sign.
Foles threw touchdown passes to Alshon Jeffery, Corey Clement, and the decisive one to Zack Ertz, which gave the Eagles the lead to stay, on a third and 7 at the N.E. 11, with just over 2 minutes to play.
Perhaps, even likely, the game/season’s biggest play was made when Corey Graham forced a Brady fumble and Derek Barnett (he had a big fumble recovery when the title tilt/semi was still close) recovered, all but sealing Philly’s first Supe crown.
Also credit to Nelson Agholar, for big gains on the Supe winning drive/possession.
Great job: Nick Foles, pictured above.
Click below to hear “The Eagles” perform “Take It To The Limit”
Take It To The Limit (Live at The Los Angeles Forum, 10/20-22/76)
Today’s 52nd Super Bowl (the number 52 was worn by Dallas linebacker, Dave Edwards, who predeceased Dennis Edwards of the Temptations, the latter passing on this past week) will be the eleventh on a neutral network (i.e. not AFC/AFL or NFC/NFL, as was the case in 41, with both “subjective” networks on hand for the first, then called the NFL/AFL Championship Game, with exponentially less hype).
All but one of the eleven, including today’s, were Al Michaels assignments.
None of the previous 10 “neutral network” games manifested in a pre 1960 ( the year of the first modern NFL expansion) NFL team losing said game, to a team that was not a pre 1960, NFL team.
In 7 previous “neutral network” Supes an NFC team prevailed vs an AFC team, all of whom played in the old AFL, six being original AFL teams.
Those games were the (San Francisco) Niners over AFL expansion team Miami (Dolphins) with Frank Gifford not Michaels, “presiding,” in ’84. This was followed by “Wash” beating Denver (’87), the Giants edging the Bills (’90), the S.F. Niners beating the then San Diego Chargers (’94), the then St. Louis Rams topping the Tennessee Titans, nee Houston Oilers (’99), Tampa Bay’s Bucs clouting Oakland (’02) and the Giants somehow repeating their ’07 “subjective network” Supe win vs what was an undefeated Pats’ team, in ’11.
Twice an AFC team that was a long time NFL team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, prevailed in “neutral network” Supes vs ’76 AFC expansion team, but by that point, NFC team, Seattle in ’05 and long time NFL team, the Cardinals, already in their third location, in ’08.
Only in the most recent “neutral network” Supe in ’14, when New England, a 4 plus point “fave” to end the 10 game streak we are citing, in today’s Supe vs the Eagles, did an AFL team prevail.
The victory, however, was vs Seattle, which as stated above was not a pre 1960 NFL team.
David Janssen, as “Dr. Richard Kimble,” on “The Fugitive,” to paraphrase that great show’s announcer William Conrad, “stopped running” in 1967.
Kudos to Bob Costas for not being involved in an event, the exponentially hyped Super Bowl, which has been “running” since 1967.
Costas, whom I urge to speak on Pete Rose’s behalf at some point in/and or around the former’s “big” day this summer, will be on the right side of history concerning football.
Click below to hear Dennis Edwards and the “Temps,” perform “Papa Was A Rolling Stone.”
Papa was a Rolling Stone- The Temptations (Full Version)
Both of this season’s Super Bowl entrants, the Pats and Eagles, lost to the same team, in the first two weeks of the 2017 NFL regular season.
That team is the vastly underachieving Kansas City Chiefs, who were “comeback scored” (see below) by the Tennessee Titans, in the NFL wild card round, ending their up and down season with a resounding down.
The “Tenn” comeback win started a “dog run,” in which the underdog has at least covered the spread in 9 of 10 pro playoff games, the college title game and 4 all-star type games, three college and one pro, a fantastic (14-1) run.
The Chiefs are coached by the vastly underachieving Andy Reid, who was the Eagles’ coach when they lost to Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots in the ’04 season Super Bowl.
(21-3) is the comeback score. The Pats trailed by that margin and more and overcame the Falcons in the 51st Supe. That is one example of the “comeback score.”
I have stated before, the greatest Boston vs Philadelphia sports action occurred in NBA semi-final battles, between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers and also Celts/PhiladelphiaWarriors.
The great Celtics, with 17 titles, including an astounding 11 in 13 seasons from (’57-’69), often rode the “semi road,” through Philadelphia, to NBA crowns, doing so 6 times (1960, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1981). Additionally, Boston “semi’d” the Syracuse Nationals, who became the current Philadelphia 76ers, in 3 consecutive “odd year semis,” in ’57, ’59 and ’61.
Philadelphia, with 4 titles (2 each won by the Warriors and 76ers), only rode the “semi-road” through Boston once, however, it was a dominant (68-13) “reg” and (3-1, 4-1 vs the Celtics and 4-2 vs the by then San Francisco, now Golden State Warriors and the great Rick Barry and Nate Thurmond in the ‘offs) ’66-’67 team, that did so.
Nothing symbolizes the rivalry more than Bill Russell and Boston vs Wilton Norman Chamberlain and Philadelphia.
In tribute to Bill, Wilt and the great players in an, if not THE, sports rivalry, I will link you to previous posts regarding this great subject/debate.
Nothing like it, before or since, Bill Russell pictured above on the left and Wilt Chamberlain on the right.
Andy B Sports 